Labor

Workers today need workplace policies and practices that provide greater control and predictability over the scheduling of work hours – so that that they can fulfill responsibilities at home and on the job.

Labor unions help shape the policies of today’s workplaces and know that workplace flexibility is a critical support for workers and their families. And today, they are also recognizing that flexibility is an essential component to building a stronger, more resilient American workforce.

For that reason, many labor unions are actively bargaining to increase access to workplace flexibility policies ranging from alternative work schedules to short-term and extended time off. These and other types of workplace flexibility are helping meet the needs of union members and their families – as well as the demands of the 21st century economy.

Developed by the Labor Project for Working Families, LEARN WorkFamily is an online labor education and resource network on organizing and bargaining for work family issues. The website provides a database of contract language on work family issues such as family leave, childcare, elder care, flexible work options, adoption, bereavement leave and more.

Peter Berg and Ellen Ernst Kossek
Michigan State University, School of Labor and Industrial Relations
Work-Family Flexibility in Unionized Organizations: Results from a National Study